Melrose Planning To Restore Previous Education Structure With New Funding

MELROSE, MA — Superintendent of Schools Cari Berman presented a team-based education model for the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School for the 2026 to 2027 school year to the School Committee during a recent meeting.

The team model is possible due to the $13.5 million tax override that was passed by voters during the municipal election this past November. According to the city, this override will fund 17 positions in the district, restoring the structure that had to be abandoned for the current academic year.

The sixth-grade portion of the model is titled “Building Continuity,” and will put all students into one of three teams. Each team will consist of approximately 100 students each. All students will take the core curriculum courses of English, Mathematics, Science, and Ancient World History. The plan indicates that all classrooms will be in close proximity to where the sixth graders’ lockers and homerooms are located. In addition, part-time courses of wellness, theatre, computer science, literacy, and music will meet twice per week.

The seventh-grade component of the plan is titled “Increasing Exploration,” splits the grade up into two teams, organized geographically by two hallways the students occupy. While the four main courses remain the same, the part-time support course options will change to that of a world language course that has multiple choices and a rotating course that alternates between three different subjects. Students will be given the choice to choose three out of the four options of Art, Technology and Engineering, World Language, or Band/Chorus/Orchestra.

The eighth-grade portion of the plan does not include specific teams for the upcoming school year, however “Flexibility and High School Readiness” does leave the option to be adopted in the future. The core classes of Math, Science, and English remain the same, however Civics and World Language are new additions. Students will have the option to study either French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish. Wellness classes will remain on a part-time basis, however those enrolled in a musical course will meet four times per week as a primary elective.

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